MARGAO
What’s the take of the concerned authorities, including disaster management officials, the Water Resources Department and the PWD National Highway on the large-scale flooding of the low-lying areas of Benaulim, including Tolleaband, during the weekend, adding voices to the long-pending demand for bypass on stilts?
And, will these authorities do a re-think of the plan to build the bypass on earthen embankments and spare the village from flooding and inundation?
While these and other questions may come to stare at the authorities, the locals now only hope the unprecedented flooding at Benaulim will open the eyes of the government authorities and recommend the bypass on stilts on the balance portion passing through Benaulim.
When The Goan called up officials of the PWD National Highway to find out whether the recent flooding of Benaulim along the bypass stretch will prompt them to do a re-think, a senior official pointed out there’s no change in the stand of the PWD to date. It is also believed that the PWD National Highway has not conducted any fresh study of the submerged portion of Benaulim due to last week’s heavy downpour.
“I do not think there will be any change in the stand of the PWD National Highway on the bypass. Unless the government takes a policy decision, the stand of the PWD National Highway will remain unchanged,” the official added.
A senior Water Resources Department (WRD) official, however, told The Goan that the department is preparing a report on the flooding at Benaulim. In fact, the official pointed out that department officials are on the job to prepare a factual report after a study on the flooding at Benaulim.
Incidentally, on the first day of flooding, a WRD official, who was part of the inspection team that studied the water level at Tolleaband lake, had publicly batted for the construction of the bypass on stilts after the deluge.
Benaulim MLA Venzy Viegas said the flooding at Tolleaband and the rainwater catchment areas during the heavy downpour last week only goes to prove that the bypass sans stilts will be a disaster in the making.
“I have been demanding that the government put a plan in place for a 100-year flood, which would devastate not only Benaulim but the neighbouring villages. Our worst fears came true when the low-lying areas were inundated and the Tolleaband-Pedda road was submerged under water for two days,” he said.
Venzy added: “The flooding has occurred when the PWD has not raised an earthen embankment through the Tolleaband lake. Hope the authorities see reason and build the bypass on stilts.”
Petitioner in the National Green Tribunal, Royla Fernandes, echoed similar sentiments. She said the 10-member panel constituted by the National Green Tribunal (NGT) should have visited Tolleaband and other low-lying areas under water for two days last week.
“The 10-member panel would have seen the ground reality at Benaulim if they had to descend at Tolleaband last week. The flood plains and the water catchment areas were all submerged for over two days. Hope the panel and other concerned authorities take cognizance and recommend the bypass on stilts," Royla added.
Soon after the inundation, Royla had sent an SOS to Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to visit the village and personally see for himself how parts of Tolleaband and Pedda were under flood waters. In her SOS, Royla expressed her gratitude to the government for accepting the 10-member panel report for the bypass on stilts along the 980-metre stretch from Seraulim to Mungul. She, however, made a fervent plea to the Chief Minister not to leave Benaulim to face the wrath of nature in years to come and the coming generations to remember them with disdain.
WRD comes under scanner as Tolleaband, Pedda submerge
THE GOAN NETWORK
MARGAO
After Tolleaband and parts of Pedda lay submerged under water for over two days last week, the Water Resources Department (WRD) has come under the scanner of the Benaulim villagers.
For, the very same department had in a report dated 2019 recommended the construction of the bypass road on stilts by considering the long-term damage to the agricultural land and bio-diversity.
The WRD had in its report made a host of recommendations and suggestions, including the recommendation for a proper drainage system to protect the area from flooding during the monsoon.
The report stated that since the proposed road is very close to river Sal, there is a scope for damaging the banks/bundh/drains connecting the river during the construction stage and thereby joint monitoring is required frequently to reinstate the damaged sites till the final stage of construction.
The report further stated that as many water bodies (ponds/tanks) are going to be damaged permanently, the alternate system needs to be replaced to keep alive and continue agriculture activities.
“As the construction of road includes the filling of low-lying areas, the possibilities of minimising the filing area needs to be worked out by the PWD department by proposing the road on stilt as the alternate case by considering the long-term damage to the agricultural land and biodiversity,” the report added.
